Differences in placentophagia in relation to reproductive status in the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus).

The evolution of social and reproductive monogamy in Peromyscus, evidence from Peromyscus californicus (the California Mouse)

Effects of reproductive status on behavioral and endocrine responses to acute stress in a biparental rodent, the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus).

In several mammalian species, lactating females show blunted neural, hormonal, and behavioral responses to stressors. It is not known whether new fathers also show stress hyporesponsiveness in species in which males provide infant care. To test this possibility, we determined the effects of male and female reproductive status on stress responsiveness in the biparental, monogamous California mou...

Is Promiscuity Associated with Enhanced Selection on MHC-DQα in Mice (genus Peromyscus)?

Reproductive behavior may play an important role in shaping selection on Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes. For example, the number of sexual partners that an individual has may affect exposure to sexually transmitted pathogens, with more partners leading to greater exposure and, hence, potentially greater selection for variation at MHC loci. To explore this hypothesis, we examined t...

Effects of a physical and energetic challenge on male California mice (Peromyscus californicus): modulation by reproductive condition.

Reproduction strongly influences metabolism, morphology and behavior in female mammals. In species in which males provide parental care, reproduction might have similar effects on fathers. We examined effects of an environmental challenge on metabolically important physiological, morphological and behavioral measures, and determined whether these effects differed between reproductive and non-re...

A Computer-Vision Approach to the Analysis of Peromyscus californicus Behavior

In this study we analyze the behavior of California mice (Peromyscus californicus) at nest sites under experimental treatments that alter male endocrine status. We analyze infrared video recordings of the nest area of mice to validate data collected via radio telemetry and audio recordings. Results will contribute to our understanding of factors that mediate parental care in species that mainta...